How Hands On The Future Kenya Skills Show is Helping to Reduce Youth Unemployment

The plan we were told as children, was to go to school, work hard so we could get a job to make a living. This is the ideal but we all know that the ideal is rarely the reality. Growing up, I wanted to be a teacher then I switched to entertainer after starring in a school play. Later, I thought I would be a lawyer because that is what a number of teachers advised me to pursue as I had a great memory, was good with languages and passionate in arguments. After high school however, I got the opportunity to be in a film during the gap year before joining campus, and decided I wanted to go into film. I ended up studying journalism and film and doing what 10-year-old me would have approved of. I went to a high achievers’ high school, so my career choices are odd (which they shouldn’t be) and we are only a handful of us pursuing non-traditional careers.

Youth Unemployment

The unemployment rate in Kenya is at 7.4% according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics 2015/2016 Labour Force Basic Report. 20.4% of the employed of working age (15-64), underemployed. There has been concern that this situation is a ticking time bomb especially as the Kenyan population is becoming more youthful, with nearly 60% under 25, making the median age 19.7.

When it comes to career options, you need only watch the news when national exam results are announced. Everyone wants to be a doctor, engineer or lawyer. In fact, growing up, those seemed to be the only good career choices available with architect, banker and actuary being added to the list. Anything else was seen as not quite good enough, which is a pity because there’s space for so many other career options. Not everyone can get a degree because of limited infrastructure, finances or even lack of interest, but this doesn’t mean that there are no other opportunities if you are not able to follow the prescribed education path.

Hands On The Future Kenya Skills Show

I attended the Hands on the Future Kenya Skills Show this past weekend and it was fantastic. Hands on the Future Kenya Skills Show is an annual 3-day event that hosts TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) institutions, employers and other stakeholders to exhibit, educate and hold conversations with young people and interested parties. This was the 2^nd edition and was held at KICC.

There is an accelerated change when it comes to the job sector, as a large percentage of current and projected job growth in Kenya is in technical and vocational jobs. An analysis by HELB (Higher Education Loans Board) shows that employability is at 96% for those with technical and vocational education and training compared to 40% for those with a university degree. it is therefore  essential that we change the negative perception around TVET and embrace available opportunities and that this reality will translate to skilled workers enjoying competitive salaries. I think even those with degrees should go take some of the technical courses available to make themselves more employable.

There were exhibitors from 156 organizations and 72 workshops and seminars including digital skills, careers in the oil and energy sectors, cooperative business, aviation and I was overwhelmed by the size of the event. 12 professional career advisors and 4 student volunteers provided one on one career advisory services and also administered a career assessment test for students. The turnout was impressive with over 20,000 attendees. There were also plenty of activities and entertainment and I was happy to see young artistes including STV Legend, Cherri Mamiah, Elvis Who and New EraAfri get a platform to perform.

Some of the exhibitors I visted included Muka Designers, Bosch, YALI Regional Leadership Center East Africa, Vera Beauty & Fashion College, ADMI (Africa Digital Media Institute), Talanta Institute, Machakos Technical Institute for the Blind, Bechtel, Don Bosco Boys Town Technical Institute, Gearbox, Google, HF Foundation, Kenya Literature Bureau, Kenya Water Institute, MYDAWA, World Food Programme and World Vision Kenya, Safaricom Foundation, Railway Training Institute, Weza Foundation, Kenya Utalii College and Wote Technical Training Institute.

It was an eye-opening experience and I look forward to the 2020 edition and hope that more young people are encouraged to take up these education and employment opportunities. To read more on this, head to the Hands on the Future Kenya Skills Show website and follow the conversation on #JijengeNaSkills on Twitter.